Are you looking to buy a home in the near future or in the process now? Having an electrical contractor like Airstream Services inspect your electrical components could be imperative to ensuring the electrical components are up to code, safe and you won’t run into any issues once you move in and want to install any of your own wireless or electrical features in your home. A home inspector can take a look at a lot of the electrical components however having a licensed electrician can ensure that everything is inspected properly and not overlooked.
Here are some things to consider when buying your future home from an electrical perspective:
- Painted outlets: Painted outlets can cause overheating. This is a very simple and cost effective fix to just buy new outlet covers or outlets and install.
- Exposed wiring and circuits: This can be visible to you when walking around or it could be behind drywall or in the attics. Exposed wiring and circuits can cause fires endangering your families life.
- Modified electrical panels: When someone messes with the electrical panels, this can cause overheating light fixtures, outlets working intermittently or switches and outlets working sporadically.
- Missing knockouts in panels: Round or rectangular shapes that are missing inside an electrical panel
- Knob-and-tube wiring: This is the first generation of electrical wiring and uses no ground wire and no protection when a fault occurs
- Aluminum wiring: becomes defective faster than copper because of the metal’s qualities, covering overheating and other hazards
- Federal Pacific breaker panels: Multiple tests have shown that one in four is defective.
- No GFCI protection: Ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, are outlets that interrupt an abnormal current flow to reduce the chance of electric shock. They’re usually installed in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas where outlets may come in contact with liquid. (A GFCI outlet has two buttons in the center; if the outlet stops working, push the “Reset” button to rest the breaker.)
- Multiple neutral wires in a slot of an electrical panel: one wire can slip out if the set screw does not hold them firmly
There are many other electrical components to consider however these are a few of the things to look for when buying a new home that a licensed electrician or electrical contractor can find. Give Airstream Services a call today or fill out our online form to request an electrical inspection.